The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-12-03
STRANGER THAN FICTION
Leaves from tho Life of an Actress
Now Residing I'm Florida.

NOW
In one of the suburbs of Jackson
vile, says letter TO The 81 Lons
Globe Democrat stands n little unpre
tentious dwelling, which has for an in
mate woman who has had a mos
checkered career Rumors OF thi,
woman's experiences reached a report
err, anu he determined to investigate
the truth of them. A short walk
brought the writer to the house, and Q
knock brought the object of his search
to the door
She was n woman who had passed
the prime of life, and her face in heI
youth must have been ravlshlngly
beautiful. 1t was now furrowed with
deep lines of care and sorrow. Her
once raven black hair. which was
wound carelessly around her head. was
streaked with silver. and though her
hands we're small and delicately snap
ed. the shruuken flesh told too plainly
tale of hunger and suffering. There
she stood; her eyes. which could at
times flash fire as some memory OF
former wrongs fitted across her
mind, turned with n startled express
ion this morning on the intruder
whose curiosity had led him to her
home. But as he dotted his hat ana
greeted tho strange woman with a
kindly good morning." the flashing
orbs filled with softer glow. and with
the bow of a duchess she returned the
salutation. and invited the newspaper
man inside.
The visitor managed to explain his
errand with difficulty, and even then,
by the flash of the black eye, he saw
that she resented the intrusion. But
after short talk the thread OF the con-
versation was gradua y led back to
herself, and she gavr the following
sensational account of herself:
81 am of English birth. My father,
who once bore the honored title of the
earl of Hereward, but who was then an
officer in the guards, wooed and won
my mother, at that time very pupu-
lar actress, playing at Drury Lane
theater. The marriage, or rather
mock marriage, for my father heart
lesslv deceived my mother, took place
in little country village near London,
and as nv father said he feared his
father, the old earl would dlsinhern
him if he heard of his action, he pre-
vailed on my mother to live in retire
ment promising that as soon as posi-
BILE he would declare to the world the
true state of affairs. | was the sole
issue of this union, and month after
month passed, and the plausible
guardsman prevailed on my trustful
mother that the time was not ripe yet
for disclosure. 1t was soon the same
old story.
s'At first no one could have been
more devoted thar my father; then, as
time wore on, his visits to our little
homo became less frequent, and finally
ceased altogether. My mother in deep
distress sought the presence of the
old earl, and then told him the whole
story. but he refused to believe her,
and drove her from his door. In her
ANGUISH she sought her husbands reg
iment, but found he had exchanged and
gone to India. Selling the baubles that
he had given her in the halcyon days OF
their early happiness, she took me with
her. and we sailed for the gorgeous
east, we. found, alas, too late. that her
truant husband had fallen in an ARRAY
with some mountain tribes in the in
terror.
I'm her despair my mother took
poison and died, leaving me in little
hill station, where an officers wife
adopted me, and cared for me as her
own child. | was sent home to Eng
land, and, after being educated, con
cluded to follow my mothers PROBES
sion and become an actress.
In vivid word language she then de
picted her own life. A rich Prussior
noble deceived her, and when she re-
scented his wrongs he sent her to Siberia
on false charge OF being a nihilist.
Her escape and the vicssitudes she en-
countered before she reached America
would fill volume, but were told with
singularly truthful air. She came
here some months ago, and has eludet
observation until now. She keeps per-
fectly secluded. and evinced desire t.
be unknown. So far, not dozen PEG
pie here know of her residence or hel
history. Certainly truth is stranger
than fiction.